


Lithium

by Milligramme



Series: In Bloom [2]
Category: Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Adachi isn't the killer, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Family, I see it as a mutual pining that leads nowhere, M/M, Minor Character Death, Yosuke is possessed by Ameno-Sagiri, but romance isn't the focus here anyway, instead it's Yosuke, souyo if you squint, why you ask? because I needed a killer and I can
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-03-19 22:17:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18979441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milligramme/pseuds/Milligramme
Summary: Tohru didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be in Inaba, he didn’t want to be working so late, and he certainly didn’t want to be acting as a watchdog for some local celebrity caught in the middle of a petty scandal. However, life doesn’t always go your way and so here he was, away from his family.Sometimes, Yosuke wondered when he started feeling this empty. He’d realized it when he first came to Inaba, but it must have started earlier. Moving to this dull and boring place was just the push he needed to notice that something was wrong with him. After all, starting a new life in an unknown place was supposed to be exciting, or scary, or a bit of both. Not this. Not nothing.AU where Adachi has formed meaningful bonds before being sent to Inaba, so he has no reason to murder anyone, and Yosuke is a bored teenager trying to escape his own emptiness.He's always wanted to be a hero but sometimes, you have to create your own opportunities...





	1. Killer Night

**Author's Note:**

> As promised, here's the second part of In Bloom!
> 
> The first chapters are pretty short but they get longer. I hope you're ready for Adachi the Genuine Goofball and a heavy dose of Salty Yosuke!
> 
> Enjoy!

Tohru didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be in Inaba, he didn’t want to be working so late, and he certainly didn’t want to be acting as a watchdog for some local celebrity caught in the middle of a petty scandal. However, life doesn’t always go your way and so here he was, away from his family.

When he’d been informed of his demotion, Mune had told him that he didn’t have to go, Tohru remembered.

_“You can just resign and find another job in Tokyo. We’ll be fine. We don’t need protection,”_ he’d said.

Tohru was stubborn though, and he liked being a detective. He didn’t want to leave on a failure, and he had no idea what else to do anyway, so he’d decided to accept his demotion and stay in Inaba for a while.

_“I’ll just give it a year and work extra hard to redeem myself! It won’t be too late to resign after that, right?”_ he’d replied like an idiot.

Oh, how he regretted his decision now…

No one was taking him seriously in this shithole. Sure, he’d always been a bit of a goof, but it wasn’t a reason to treat him like a rookie! Dojima kept telling him that he’d give him more responsibilities when he made proper coffee, as if the two were related. Although he was starting to respect his new partner, it annoyed Tohru to no end.

_How was he supposed to redeem himself if all he did was make coffee, help cats down trees, and act as an improvised marriage counselor for shitty couples? Even this whole “protection” task was clearly assigned to him because no one else wanted to do it! What was the point of being a detective if he was going to do the job of a rookie underling?!_

Tohru sighed in frustration, playing with his gecko-engraved palming coin to calm his nerves. He’d gone to see Yamano and tell her why he was here earlier, and the bitch just rudely told him to leave her alone and not talk to her. Tohru had been waiting in the lobby for hours, he hadn’t even eaten yet, and he was fed up with everything, so if that woman didn’t want him, he’d rather leave for a while and grab a bite.

He waited for a couple more hours once he came back, and decided that he wasn’t going to stay here any longer. He was supposed to call Mune tonight, and he had better things to do than wait in a lobby all night long like a faithful dog.

He walked to Yamano’s room for the second time to tell her he was leaving for the night, but he knocked in vain. After three failed attempts, he opened the door and found the room empty.

_So he’d been guarding the place for nothing this whole time, huh? Awesome._

Tohru grumbled as he closed the door and walked home, because of course he’d just missed the last bus.

_And he used to think that the last trains in Tokyo were too early. He hated this place so much…_

Since he had nothing better to do on the way, Tohru grabbed his phone and called home. He needed to vent, and it would probably be too late if he waited until he reached his place.

“So you’re telling me that she’s vanished and you just _walked home_?” Mune asked after Tohru had told him everything about his shitty day.

“What else was I supposed to do? My task was to scare away people who might come to bother her at the inn, not to make sure she stayed inside. She’ll be back when she’s hungry or something.”

“She’s a human being, Tohru, not a cat.”

“Yeah, so she’ll definitely find her way back,” he retorted.

Mune sighed.

“If she isn’t back tomorrow, you’ll have to look for her.”

“Ugh, fine,” Tohru groaned. “Anyway, how is Kaoru?”

He really didn’t want to hear about this mess anymore.

.

Sometimes, Yosuke wondered when he started feeling this empty. He’d realized it when he first came to Inaba, but it must have started earlier. Moving to this dull and boring place was just the push he needed to notice that something was wrong with him. After all, starting a new life in an unknown place was supposed to be exciting, or scary, or a bit of both. Not this. Not nothing.

_He couldn’t be bothered to care, though._

Yosuke had never really had friends back in Tokyo, so he wasn’t sad about leaving his old school. He was going to miss the liveliness of the city, though… Inaba truly was a dead place, and he couldn’t believe that a mall opening was such a big deal for the inhabitants. People in the boonies were as boring as Yosuke expected, and he didn’t really want to befriend anyone here either.

The only good thing about this place was that there were a few cuties, like Yukiko Amagi from his class. Silky dark hair, fine features, porcelain skin, dark eyes to die for, all brought together with an air of grace and elegance, she was the embodiment of the perfect Japanese beauty. Yosuke couldn’t believe that a girl like her was still single, and he’d hoped that his city boy charm would work on her.

However, his ambitions were swiftly burnt to the ground when he tried asking her out. She’d rejected him outright, without batting an eyelid, without looking remotely embarrassed about it, with the cold simplicity of someone who’d done it countless times before. How many hearts did she break on a weekly basis? Did she even realize what she was doing?

_At least he wasn’t the only one who got rejected with such carelessness, but it wasn’t very comforting…_

The Amagi Mess had been a bummer for sure, but instead of giving up, Yosuke figured that maybe dating the cutest girl in his school could be some sort of adventure, especially if she was going to act like an unattainable ice queen. Being her boyfriend would be even sweeter if he first had to melt her icy exterior, right?

Since the direct approach didn’t seem to be working, Yosuke turned to her best friend Satonaka instead, and let he her talk about her kung-fu movies and unfeminine interests to her heart’s content. The more he looked at her, the more Yosuke realized that she was cute in her own, unrefined way; yet she was so dull compared to Amagi…

_Spending time with_ _Satonaka_ _was kind of nice, though, but it would be better if she didn’t try to make him buy meat for her all the time…_

Now that he thought about it, everything Yosuke had done ever since he came here could be explained by his search for thrill (just like everyone in this soul-sucking place, or else why would they be so excited over an affair between two petty local celebrities?). Hanging out with Satonaka wasn’t enough though, especially since Yosuke basically stopped existing as soon as Amagi was around. Plus, he was sort of losing hope of ever dating the school beauty.

Yosuke had almost resigned himself to a life of boredom and emptiness until hope came back in the form of another pretty girl.

_Surprisingly, Inaba seemed to be full of these. Or maybe they stood out more in this dull environment?_

His new savior’s name was Saki Konishi. She was nice and friendly, and her mature looks and teasing habits gave her an undeniable older sister charm. Plus, with her pale and curly hair that made her seem almost ethereal, she looked like someone Yosuke could have met in the city; someone he would have never dreamed of talking to. But here in Inaba, everything was different, and everyone was a lot more approachable.

_There had to be a few perks to this shitty place, after all…_

Saki was perfect for him, Yosuke got to hang out with her at work all the time, and she truly made him feel something.

_~~Who was he trying to kid? She was just as boring as the rest! He was so desperate…~~ _

_It was love, for sure! If he could date her, then his life wouldn’t feel so empty ever again!_

Everything was all nice and well, but given his lack of experience, Yosuke didn’t really know how he could ask Saki out. He didn’t want to repeat the whole Amagi Mess, after all. He couldn’t mess things up this time! And since his life was still as boring as ever, or at least it would be until he started dating Saki, it was only natural that he’d end up at the Amagi Inn late at night, after his classmate let slip that Mayumi Yamano, people’s new favorite topic of conversation, was staying there until the rumors died down.

Waiting until her appointed watchdog left had been easy enough. There weren’t many people around at this time, and Yosuke could see the cop from outside. Making the woman come to the lobby was a bit trickier, but no one was at the reception at the moment, so Yosuke just had to use the phone at the desk and make up an excuse.

This little stunt was thrilling! His heart was pounding as he waited for Yamano to come in, wondering if the cop assigned to her protection would come back before that. Yosuke hadn’t been this excited in months! He didn’t know what he was going to do exactly, but it didn’t really matter. Maybe he could just ask about the rumors and brag to his classmates about it?

Then, that woman came down from her lair like a wronged harpy, and threatened to call the police when she saw him. Yosuke’s good mood died instantly.

_He couldn’t let it happen, he had to do something!_

He didn’t know what he expected when he pushed Yamano toward the TV, but clearly not that she’d fall right through the screen.

His heart stopped, and a dreadful feeling of doubt crept up his chest as he tried to assess the reality of what just happened. Then, he slowly approached the screen and touched it, only for his hand to go through it at well. He pinched his cheek to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming, but a part of him already knew that he wasn’t.

_This_ _was it! This was thrill! This was a feeling at last!_

Yosuke burst into a manic laughter, and walked away before someone came. He kept laughing for the whole ride home, not caring about his shitty old bike for once, and went to bed with a smile. He didn’t know what happened, but it was promising!

_~~A disappearance wasn’t much, though…~~ _

_He was feeling things! He wasn’t empty!_


	2. Who Wants to Talk About Murder?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another short chapter. They'll get longer soon though.
> 
> Enjoy!

Tohru never got to look for Yamano, because she was found dead in the fog the day after she’d disappeared. Her body was discovered somewhere between Dojima’s second and third coffee of the day, which meant that it was still fairly early in the morning.

_A pretty normal hour to find a dead body, really_ , Tohru had thought, wondering why everyone looked so surprised by it.

There was a moment of silence, when the news reached the station. Then, as if on a signal, the whole place descended into chaos. Tohru, unmoving, watched everyone around him rush all over, yelling orders, trying and failing to look strong and in charge, as if the world had just ended. In the middle of this mess, Tohru was the only one who stayed calm, feeling like he was stuck in a different plane of existence.

_People died every day. What was the fuss all about?_

“Adachi, pull yourself together! You’re probably new to all this, but now is not the time to zone out!” Dojima yelled at him, pulling him out of his trance. “Come with me, we’re going to the crime scene.”

Tohru blinked, too taken aback to remind his partner that murders and dead bodies weren’t exactly uncommon in the city, and that he’d probably dealt with more of them than the whole station put together—or so it seemed, given how poorly his colleagues were handling this one. Instead, he followed Dojima in silence.

_Well… except for his surprised yelp when he almost tripped on his own feet, but who could blame him? This whole scene was surreal…_

It was so surreal, in fact, that Tohru threw up upon seeing Yamano’s dead body, while Dojima yelled at him once again. Honestly, it wasn’t undeserved. Tohru had no idea why it happened. Was it because her corpse made him come back to reality too suddenly? Did he feel guilty because he was supposed to look after her? Was it something he ate in the morning? He couldn’t tell, but it was very unlike him. It wasn’t his first murder case after all, and he’d seen more gruesome.

Tohru spent the rest of the day investigating and helpfully reminding everyone of the standard procedures in case of suspected murder. Of course, no one really paid attention to him, and Dojima even told him to stay in his lane several times, never thanking him whenever he checked the facts and realized that Tohru was right.

_It was such a cliché senior thing to do… Dojima was such a cliché… Why was Tohru stuck with him?_

And then, as if the day couldn’t have been worse, Tohru was once again scolded when he finally came back home and shared the news with Mune.

“Dammit, Tohru! It didn’t even cross your mind that she could be in danger? Are you serious? How did you even become a cop?!” he yelled.

“You know how, you helped me study!” Tohru retorted. “You even took pictures at my graduation ceremony!”

Truth be told, he had relied a lot on Mune’s intuitions and knowledge of how the underworld worked for the past few years (although he never got names or anything too specific). Tohru was good at analyzing a situation and using procedures to his advantage, but he lacked the so called ‘detective’s instinct’ Dojima was always blabbering about; without mentioning that he wasn’t a people person and interrogating suspects wasn’t his thing at all.

_Maybe he wasn’t cut out to be a cop, after all…_

But it wouldn’t stop him from trying to solve this case anyway! Tohru might not be the best cop, but he was still way more prepared and competent than the ones in this shitty town who had probably never seen a murder case in their careers. Plus, it could be the chance to redeem himself Tohru had been waiting for this whole time!

Maybe it was sort of his fault that Yamano had died in the first place, but he wasn’t going to let it stop him from uncovering the truth.

.

Yosuke never wanted Yamano to die. He just thought she would come back on her own. If he’d known this would happen, he would have done something to save her! Especially since it was apparently Saki who found her body, and he didn’t want to hurt her.

_~~Who was he trying to kid? He didn’t care about any of that, he just wanted to feel something for once!~~ _

_He should check on her when he had time._

Yosuke didn’t say anything to the others, but he’d seen Saki on the Midnight Channel the night before, after Satonaka made them promise to check out the rumor. The girl on screen with the long wavy hair could only have been her! ~~He could recognize the shape of her boobs anywhere!~~

He was so excited that he could barely sleep, and it was the first thought on his mind when he’d woken up that morning. He had been so distracted that he forgot his bike’s brakes needed to be replaced, and he had a nasty encounter with a wall on his way to school. He barely noticed the pain, anyway.

_Saki truly was his soulmate! He’d been right all along, she was the one who was going to save him from his emptiness. She had started already, after all! He couldn’t wait to see her after school and finally ask her to go to the movies with him!_

For now, however, Yosuke was busy sharing his experience with Narukami and Satonaka, and he was shocked to hear his new classmate telling them so openly about how his arm went through the TV screen that night. Narukami kept his poker face the whole time, his voice as calm and emotionless as ever when he mentioned that he’d tried going inside and failed. Yosuke, however, couldn’t hide his astonishment, which luckily passed for disbelief.

_Could it be a common thing? Was everyone able to do it now? How come?_

Yosuke hadn’t tried the TV trick again after the night Yamano died, but Narukami’s story had piqued his interest. And of course, Satonaka’s eagerness to see it for herself led them all to the TV section at Junes, where Narukami proved that he could, indeed, stick his entire arm and head through a screen.

What happened after was pretty hard to process. How the three of them fell in this other world and met the strange bear, how they found that room that was probably Yamano’s… Seeing the torn posters and various displays of rage and despair had shaken Yosuke so much that his bladder almost gave in, like often when he was in shock.

_Stupid monkey brain…_

Still, however weird and unbelievable this afternoon had been, it didn’t mean that Yosuke was going to change his plans for the evening! Hence, the first thing he did after the others left was texting Saki, asking her to meet him at Junes as soon as possible.

_~~Truth be told, this whole trip to another world had been pretty boring. Strange for sure, but where was the thrill?~~ _

_Saki was his soulmate after all, and he couldn’t wait to finally be with her!_

“Sorry, I was busy. Does it have to be at Junes?” she replied almost an hour later, when Yosuke had almost lost hope.

Somehow, it felt important to him that they stayed next to a TV screen, and the one in the break room seemed perfect.

_~~This way, he could throw her in if something went wrong.~~ _

_Since he’d known that she was his soulmate thanks to a TV, it seemed fitting._

She accepted, and Yosuke couldn’t contain his joy. When she arrived, he told her everything. How he knew she was the one who found Yamano and he was here for her, how he felt about her…

He had to resist the urge to take her in his arms, pressing her body against his, but it was too early; if he just waited a bit, then…

She rejected him. Harshly.

“Look, Hana-chan, I don’t have time for this! I only came because I thought it was important! I’m going through a lot, and then this cop, Adachi or whatever, interrogated me again as if I had more info to give, so just… Not now, okay? Or ever.”

She turned around to leave, and Yosuke’s body moved on its own.

_~~That was what he told himself, at least.~~ _

He threw her in the TV and left the break room with a crossed frown.

_~~It served her right for rejecting him. She might as well die in there. After all, more deaths meant more thrill.~~ _

_Maybe staying in there for a little while would make her understand? He’d go save her later on. After all, he sort of knew how to do it now._


	3. A Whole New World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for me having way too much fun with Goofydachi! I've also changed his Persona because Magatsu Izanagi didn't really make sense given his mindset in the story.  
> Also there's a little Yosuke. Don't worry, he'll be more present soon.
> 
> Enjoy!

Saki was dead. Yosuke had killed Saki.

_~~Wow. What a surprise.~~ _

_What had he done?_

A part of him knew already, when the principal announced it. After all, he had checked the Midnight Channel before going to bed the night before, and he’d seen her writhing in pain. It was easier to write it off as something meaningless though, so he’d gone to bed and tried to call her in the morning instead. There was no answer, and Yosuke wondered if there was signal in the TV world.

_He’d figured he’d go save her in the morning, before school. He’d overslept and now…_

After the announcement, he found Chie and Yu talking about the Midnight Channel, and he decided that he had to do something to amend. He didn’t know what exactly, but something.

“Hey… Did you guys check out the TV last night?” he started before telling them about what he’d seen.

It was weird to say ‘someone’ when talking about the murderer, knowing full well that it was him. However, other people might do the same in the future, so Yosuke would have to stop them, right? He couldn’t go to the police and tell the truth.

_~~Going to jail would be such a boring end when he could be a hero instead, right?~~ _

_They would never believe him anyway, so it was no use._

It wasn’t hard to convince his two classmates to go to the TV world and investigate on what happened there. They looked so pained for him…

_If they knew…_

.

Tohru couldn’t see anything in this damn fog, and he was exhausted. Seriously, why had he listened to that weird guy’s rambling about future victims appearing on TV at midnight and checked out this so-called “Midnight Channel”?

Sure, he didn’t expect anything to happen. That was why he’d told the weirdo on the phone that no one would believe him and that he should find a solution himself. When he’d decided to stay late that night, Tohru had never imagined that he would actually see some girl’s silhouette on the screen that he didn’t recognize.

_Maybe he should have been more attentive when Dojima had tried to make him remember the face of almost everyone in this stupid little town. Tohru was slowly getting there—although not fast enough for his impatient colleague—but his efforts were clearly not enough to recognize some random kimono girl at first glance._

Anyway, this could have been the end of it, but of course Tohru had to trip on his way to the TV and fall through the screen. He just wanted to see if he could find out why it turned on all of a sudden, and now here he was, wandering through some unknown world.

_As if he didn’t have enough on his plate already…_

Although Tohru hadn’t met anyone or anything ever since he fell in here, the place still felt pretty ominous to him, and he was glad to have Mune’s modified gun with him—a parting gift from when he left the city. One of the small joys of living alone was that he could keep it with him at home, and he found its presence reassuring; even more so now that he was in this strange TV world.

_He’d felt pretty ridiculous when he’d grabbed it on his way to the TV, but he was grateful for it now. Another thing he was grateful for was the fact that he was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, for once. Walking through this place was horrible enough as it was, he didn’t want to imagine what it would have been like if he’d been in his underwear…_

Tohru kept wandering aimlessly until he reached a familiar place that looked a lot like an apartment complex not too far from his. Curious, he walked into the only flat that was open and found himself in one of the creepiest rooms he’d ever seen.

It looked like someone had gone on a rampage. There were torn out posters everywhere, and the red noose hanging from the ceiling added a gloomy touch to the utter rage that radiated from the room.

_These posters looked familiar, though…_

Tohru’s detective reflexes kicked in, and he couldn’t help but investigate the place like he would a crime scene. He soon recognized where he’d seen the posters, and it then made no doubt that the room was tightly linked to Miss Yamano. If what the weirdo on the phone had said was true, it would make sense that this was where she died, before being thrown out on that antenna.

_And the same would probably happen to Tohru, if he didn’t find a way out soon._

He gulped at the thought. As fascinating as this place was, he had to get out of here. He was glad for the opportunity to better understand Yamano—after all, it was no wonder she was so harsh on him if this was how she was feeling that night—but he had other priorities at the moment.

Just as he was walking out of the building, Tohru finally found some living creatures. And unfortunately for him, they didn’t look friendly.

_Even the table looked threatening somehow, and Tohru didn’t know how to feel about that._

The three creatures, a table with floating cutlery and two huge mouths with weird patterns and long tongues, got closer, obviously ready to attack Tohru…

_He didn’t know what the table was going to do exactly, but he didn’t want to find out._

…when he started suffering from the worst headache of his life because, of course, he didn’t have enough problems as it was.

He couldn’t afford to die like this, though. He’d promised Kaoru that he would come back home soon! What would Mune and he think if they saw him on TV in the morning, hung on a telephone pole after he’d just spent the evening talking to them?

He reached for the palming coin in his pocket, holding it tight enough to leave marks, as if it could protect him, and a voice started echoing in his head. It sounded old, wise, and tired beyond measure.

 _“I am thou. Thou art I,”_ it said. _“Art thou ready to open thine eyes—”_

“Oh, cut the crap and get to the point already,” Tohru muttered for himself.

It must have worked, because something happened, in the form of a card appearing before him. Everything was clear to him now, and he called his Persona as he crushed it in his hand.

The creature that appeared behind him looked like a tall man wearing a rusty armor and a long, washed out red coat. He was holding a spear, leaning on it like an old mage on a staff, and just like its voice, the general impression it gave was that of someone who’d been disturbed in their well-deserved retirement and was tired of everything already. Strangely enough, Tohru himself felt full of energy. He could feel the creature’s power coursing through him, and he knew exactly how to use it.

_This power was his to use, after all._

His Persona had a name. It was Tonseiseikatsu Izanagi, the One Who Had Retired from the World, and Tohru called it as he got into a fighting stance:

“Let’s go, Tonseikachu- Tonkatsu- Ton- Ugh… Let’s go, Whatever-Your-Name-Is Izanagi!”

He got rid of the table using a wind spell and shot one of the mouths before realizing that he could weaken it with lightning. He felt like he could also send his Persona to fight, or at least that it was something you could normally do with a Persona, but his didn’t look fit for physical attacks. If Tohru tried to do this, Izanagi would most probably give him the bored look of a cat who knows exactly what you want from it, but doesn’t give a shit. Even casting spells seemed to annoy his Persona to no end, although it did so with ease.

_Tohru had always known that he was more of a mage type._

The rest of the fight felt like a breeze, and Tohru only felt tired after, once his Persona was gone and there was no more danger in sight.

_For now, at least._

It took most of his willpower to get up and resume his search for an exit. He didn’t know what time it was, but he was yearning for a good night’s sleep. His bed was the sexiest thing he could think of, at the moment. Even the most alluring images of Mune he could come up with didn’t compare, and it was saying something.

After some more wandering, Tohru saw a strange yellow platform slowly emerging from the fog. As he approached it, he realized that it looked like a TV set, with a bunch of chalk outlines on the ground and a few TVs stacked in the middle.

“If a TV was my way in, it must mean that they’re also my way out, right?!” he exclaimed with an excited grin.

He walked straight toward them and put a hand on the screen. As he’d hoped, it went right through it, and the rest of his body soon followed.

_Good thing he was so skinny._

Tohru ended up sitting on the floor of the TV department at Junes, and he’d never felt so happy to be there. He took a moment to enjoy how safe he was feeling, now that he was back in a world without fighting tables or creepy mouth-balls with gigantic tongues, until he remembered how tired and eager to go home he was. He got up with a groan.

The place was obviously closed at this time, and Tohru had to look for a way out. He’d probably have to find a key, unless the emergency exit worked.

_Or he could sleep in one of the beds on display in the furniture department._

Tohru shook his head resolutely. He couldn’t let the employees find him sleeping there in the morning. He crossed a few aisles until he reached the employee break room, with a door leading to the outside. It was closed, of course, but some airhead had left the keys on the table, and Tohru used them to open it and leave the place.

_He could close the door behind him, put the keys in the found items box at the station, and then ‘recognize them’ as Junes keys and give them back._

_…_

_Or he could just leave the door open and put the keys back on the table. It wasn’t like anyone was going to rob the place after all._

Since he was far from the mall already, Tohru decided to stick to Plan A. Now, the only thing left to do was to walk home barefooted in his night clothes, and pray that no one would see him like this. The town seemed pretty dead at night, but there was still a risk.

_Maybe someone would be nice enough to give him a ride home if he explained that he must have sleepwalked and didn’t know how he ended up here, though… But it would be better if no one saw him at all. His reputation around here was bad enough as it was._

On the way, Tohru had plenty of time to think about what happened earlier, and what it meant. If the weirdo on the phone was right, then the girl he’d seen on the screen was in danger. Plus, if the other two victims had died in this eerie TV world—he hadn’t seen anything about Konishi, but it was likely that she shared Yamano’s fate—it was his best lead to solve the case.

Dojima wouldn’t believe him for sure, but it was worth a shot. And if he was going to explore that place, Tohru would need better gear from Mune. He didn’t know if his life partner would believe him, but it seemed more likely than his work partner, at least.

Tohru really didn’t want to go back to this strange and foggy world, but it seemed like the only option if he wanted to solve the murder case. This, and finding out who the kimono girl was, so that he could catch the asshole who put people in TVs. That person probably had a power similar to Tohru’s.

_This was going to be one hell of a case._

By the time Tohru reached his flat, it was too late to go to sleep. Especially if he was going to take a shower and clean his dirty feet. They were stone cold from walking on the pavement, and it took him a while to warm them up. Once he was done, his alarm rang and he got ready for the day.

_Seriously, he was too old for this shit…_


	4. Heroes

After a few months of exploring the TV world, Tohru decided that he could use Dojima’s help. Finding his way around there got a lot easier after he found an abandoned pair of silly glasses that helped him see through the fog*, but it was still pretty hard since he never knew where to go. He didn’t know how the kids did it, but he was grateful that they seemed to know more than him about how this world worked, so they could rescue the fallen people while Tohru investigated. He could really use an extra person in his personal party of one, though, and there was no one in this shitty place he trusted more than Dojima.

_The bar was so low…_

However, to get his partner on board, Tohru would first have to tell him about the TV world and the Midnight Channel. He really dreaded this part, since someone as rational as Dojima was never going to take him seriously, but there was no way around it.

Even Mune had been hard to convince, when Tohru had come back to Tokyo and asked for gear. However, he’d ended up nodding gravely before Tohru had to stick his arm through their TV screen, saying that he believed him.

 _“You couldn’t have come up with such a good story on your own anyway,”_ he’d added with a smirk.

 _Bastard_.

Anyway, Tohru still stuck his arm in the TV to prove his point, and he got his gear. Even though he managed to avoid fighting most of the time (especially since Shadows usually didn’t notice him unless he was right under their noses, courtesy of Tired-of-this-Shit Izanagi), he was still glad to have a few backup guns, adequate protection, and enough pockets to put the weird stuff he found in there. After all, he couldn’t afford to lose his precious holy rice, magical mirrors, weird windmills, and more importantly, the straw dolls.

If Mune had accepted Tohru’s story pretty easily, Dojima, however, was something else entirely. His partner refused to even listen to him until Tohru stuck his arm in the small TV in the interrogation room. Then, he insisted that it was fake until his junior took Dojima's arm to stick it in the TV as well, after which the man just fainted.

He didn’t lose consciousness for long, though. He woke up as soon as Tohru caught him, and was back on his feet right after. It apparently gave his brain enough time to do a soft reset, because he immediately asked what had just happened, unable to remember anything from the past few minutes or so.

Tohru gave up on telling him after the third failed attempt. He’d have to keep exploring the TV world on his own, it seemed.

.

For the first time ever since he arrived in Inaba, Tohru was truly happy. The Iwais had come to visit him, Mashu included, and even though he hadn’t managed to get days off because of the recent murder of Morooka, the chief had at least accepted to let him leave work early.

_A part of him didn't like it, though. If he slacked off too much, he wouldn't be able to reap the benefits of having solved the case. And to make things worse, the higher ups had recently sent some detective brat to “help them”. Tohru agreed with Dojima on one thing: it felt like they were taunting the Inaba police force, sending a literal child to point out their incompetence. Shirogane seemed capable enough, but it didn't make the pill easier to swallow. Tohru would have to solve this case soon if he didn't want the brat to steal all the glory._

To be fair, after being away from home for so long, Tohru had finally found the good sides of living on his own. He could do whatever he wanted without worrying about others, and he didn’t even have to eat balanced meals. He’d filled his fridge for the first time once it was official that his family would come for a week during Kaoru’s summer vacation, but otherwise, he was perfectly content with his instant noodles, cheap cabbage, and the occasional meal at the Dojimas’.

Still, Tohru had really missed being around those three. Their presence almost made Inaba bearable, and he loved how everything seemed new to Mune, who had never left Tokyo before. Mune liked everything, from the fresh air to the weird local specialties, and he was especially fond of the green spaces and the peaceful atmosphere.

 _Tohru thought it was dead rather than peaceful, but to each their own, he guessed. He would probably like it better if he hadn’t been_ forced _to come here, leaving his family behind._

“I don’t get why you’re complaining all the time,” Mune said as they reached the shopping district, so that Kaoru could see his new friend and adoptive grandmother at Marukyu Tofu.

“It’s dead and boring,” Tohru muttered.

Meanwhile, Kaoru was rushing inside to greet the owner and ask her if she could teach him something today.

_The old lady was a lot nicer to him than she had been to the police when she’d reported Kujikawa’s disappearance…_

The kid and she had immediately bonded over their shared love for tofu. Tohru had been telling him about the place for months, and it was the first thing Kaoru had wanted to see upon their arrival.

“People are nice, though,” Mune retorted. “I don’t think anyone would have accepted to teach Kaoru how to make tofu in the city. Or at least, no one I would trust.”

“There are murders, Mune,” Tohru reminded him.

“There’s a lot more in Tokyo,” Mune shrugged.

Tohru sighed, defeated.

“Anyway, I think they’ll spend at least a few hours in there. What do you want to do?” he asked.

“Daidara-san said he’d show me his newest creation today,” Mune announced.

He got along with the old blacksmith a lot better than he did with Dojima. Tohru was a bit disappointed, but not surprised in the least. After all, Dojima tended to turn even mundane conversations into interrogations, while Daidara never asked personal questions. Mune and he talked craftsmanship, respected each other despite their differences, and when they weren’t talking about their respective creations, they drank tea in silence.

“You really are an old person now,” Tohru remarked with a grin.

He personally couldn’t stand those long moments of silence.

“I’m not arguing, you’ll join me soon enough,” Mune retorted with a playful smile.

“Certainly not,” Tohru huffed.

“You’ve started already. You were taking care of a kid when you were a student, and now that you’re free from us and could enjoy some freedom, the first thing you did was to find yourself another family,” Mune declared, still smiling.

If he didn’t know him better, Tohru wouldn’t have noticed the accusation hidden behind his playful tone. He sighed. He’d joked a lot about his “new family” before, mostly to hide how insecure he was about the Iwais forgetting about him while he was away, but he regretted it now. Between this and how poorly Mune’s first meeting with Dojima had gone, Tohru was starting to think that these two would never get along.

It was to be expected, of course. After all, one didn’t trust anyone until he’d done a thorough background check, and the other hated talking about his past. Plus, even though he’d stopped smoking for almost ten years now, being around cigarette smoke always made Mune more irritable; and there was no way to stop Dojima from smoking around people.

“You know I only have one family,” Tohru reminded softly, barely a whisper.

Mune must have heard it, because he huffed and walked inside the shop to hide his smile, as if Tohru couldn’t picture perfectly the faint curve of his lips, almost invisible to the untrained eye, and the way his entire face had softened. Tohru followed him, satisfied with the reaction.

_Maybe Dojima and Mune would get along if he made them drink together somewhere… After all, it was how Dojima had opened up to him in the first place._

Once Tohru got bored with the conversation between Mune and Daidara (or rather, the lack of conversation), he went out to check on Mashu, and stayed outside with her while his eyes got accustomed to the bright light of the summer day. When he finally felt ready to head to the tofu shop and see how Kaoru was doing, he noticed Yu and Nanako a few feet away from him. The two of them walked toward him when he greeted them, and they started talking casually.

The little girl was all over Mashu, since she didn’t get to meet her when Dojima had invited them over, and the two got along wonderfully.

_To think that the fur ball used to be afraid of strangers when they took her in… She’d really gone a long way._

After a while, Yu announced that he had someone to see and told Nanako that they should head home.

“But I wanted to stay outside longer,” she pouted.

“You could stay with us,” Tohru offered immediately. “I’ll have to check on Kaoru first, but we were thinking of going to the Samegawa banks after this.”

“Really? Can I, Big Bro?” Nanako asked excitedly, turning to her cousin.

“We’ll have to ask Uncle first, I think. But if he’s okay with it, sure,” he replied.

She cheered, and Tohru offered to call him to ask. The matter wasn’t settled before he was scolded for disturbing Dojima during his work hours, but he was used to it by now.

As expected, Kaoru was as excited as Nanako at the prospect of spending time together, and Yu left her with them to attend his business.

Tohru ended up sitting next to Mune by the riverside while the kids played with Mashu. As he looked at them in silence, his hand sneaking to reach Mune’s in the thick grass where no one would notice their intertwined fingers, he decided that Inaba wasn’t so bad after all.

_If it wasn’t for the whole murder thing, of course._

.

Once he was alone, Yu headed toward Junes. He felt bad for leaving his beloved Nanako behind, but he’d really been looking forward to spending time with Yosuke. Maybe it was because he was the first person who fought alongside him, but his partner was the one whose company he enjoyed the most.

Yosuke didn’t rely on him the way Yukiko or Kanji did, and every moment Yu got to share with him left him refreshed and appeased in a way only his little cousin could rival with. Plus, Yosuke was the only person in his team that he felt he could truly count on.

As he finished crossing the shopping district, making a mental note to look for insects in the evening so that he could go fishing sometime during the week, Yu heard a familiar voice coming from behind him:

“Senpai!”

He turned around to find Rise running toward him with one of her trademark idol smiles.

“I’ve been looking for you! Do you have some time?” she asked when she reached him.

“I was on my way to Junes, actually. I wanted to see Yosuke,” he explained, trying not to back off from the way she invaded his personal space.

She looked disappointed for a second, but she was back to normal in a flash.

“Perfect! Grandma sent me there to buy a few things, so we can go together,” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm to drag him with her before he could say anything.

_It was always like this with her._

Yu started relaxing once he got used to having her so close, and they talked about their last trip to Okina city and their favorite places in Tokyo. The trip to Junes went pretty fast, even though Rise obviously made efforts to make it last longer, and they reached it while she told him about a café she wanted to try in Ikebukuro, offering to go together once they went back in the city.

They found Yosuke near the entrance, and as he saw them, Yu noticed a flash of anger in his eyes. It was over before he could process it, and Rise walked away soon after to take care of her business while he stayed behind with his best friend.

“Your shift is over, right?” Yu asked. “I was thinking we could grab a bite at Aiya, or maybe take a ride to Okina. There’s a movie I think you’d enjoy.”

Now that Yu really looked at him, Yosuke seemed especially grim.

“I’ll pass. I have to study and make sure Teddie doesn’t mess anything up,” he replied blankly.

“Are you sure? I can study with you.”

It was the first time Yosuke declined an offer to hang out, and just like Rise earlier, Yu didn’t want to give up so easily.

“Don’t worry about it, you should just spend time with Rise. I’m leaving now, bye!” his partner said with a somber look as he walked away.

Yu grabbed his wrist by reflex.

“I wanted to spend time with you,” he declared, wondering how none of the desperation he felt had showed in his blank tone.

“I said I’ll pass,” Yosuke spat as he freed himself. “See ya!”

Yu stood there in silence, unable to process what had just happened.

_What had gotten into Yosuke? He should probably ask him later. He didn’t like seeing his friend like this._

.

Yosuke didn’t know why he was so angry. Or rather, he didn’t know why his anger only showed now. Seeing their “precious Leader” walking in Junes with Risette at his arm was probably the last straw.

 _And Yu had the nerve to say he wanted to spend time with_ him _when the cute idol was begging for his attention? What a joke!_

Yosuke hated to think about it, but Yu had everything. He’d awakened his Persona without facing his Shadow—and by the way, it was a total miracle that Yosuke’s had managed to mention his emptiness and eagerness to be a hero without revealing that he was the murderer—he could use _multiple_ Personas, all the cute girls loved him, everyone in this stupid town looked up to him and relied on him as if he was some sort of blessing from the gods... And now, even Risette, _the_ Risette _,_ the girl of Yosuke’s dreams ~~(or one of them at least)~~ wanted a piece of him, acting like a dog drooling over a marrowbone when Yosuke would have given her anything she wanted for a bit of attention.

But of course, he couldn’t even have this. He was only the funny sidekick here. The one everyone despised. The one who got slapped by Yukiko when he asked for her number, while she gave it readily to Yu just a few hours later.

Yu was the one Teddie respected and called Sensei, even though Yosuke was the one who gave the bear a _job,_ and a _roof,_ and a _place in society_. _Yosuke_ was the one who bought Ted’s clothes and who constantly fixed up his mistakes, working extra shifts with him to make sure he didn’t mess up some more. But none of this mattered, because _Yu_ was the Sensei, and Yosuke was just Ted's faithful lackey or something.

It was unfair. Yu wouldn’t be anything without Yosuke. If there hadn’t been murders, if he hadn’t convinced the future Investigation Team to go back to the TV world after Saki’s death, none of this would have happened. Yosuke should be the hero here, why couldn’t anyone else see it?

He didn’t care about finding out who’d been throwing people inside the TV after him. He was just glad that someone took over, so that this whole thing wasn’t over too soon. He didn’t even care if people stopped dying. Yosuke loved rescuing them, actually. It was exactly the sort of thrill he’d been looking for. It would all be perfect if he could be in the spotlight, for once!

_Yet, he was the one who called Yu ‘Leader’ for the first time. He told himself that he'd hoped Yu would decline the offer, but he knew it wasn’t the only reason. If only he could understand why…_

Yosuke sighed. He couldn’t even bring himself to hate the guy. Yu was perfect, after all. Intelligent, eloquent, understanding… He could do anything, from folding cranes in ten seconds flat to cooking, or playing the trumpet, or even eating giant beef bowls. It was infuriating, but Yu was so humble about it that it was impossible to be mad at him, even for Yosuke, who envied him more than anyone.

As he was taking a shortcut through a side street, Yosuke bumped into someone.

“Can’t you look where you’re going?” the guy yelled. “Do you even know who I am?!”

Yosuke looked at him, perplexed. The stranger was probably in high school, he had dark hair and pitch black eyes, and he looked like a lunatic. Yosuke had no idea who he was.

He shook his head, and the guy started rambling about how it was him, the killer! He explained that he’d killed them all, especially that bastard Morooka, and not even the police could catch him because they refused to believe him.

As he heard that, Yosuke repressed a smile and nodded with the best solemn and empathetic expression he could muster. He didn’t know why he had bumped into this guy, but it was perfect! He’d been worried about being discovered these days, especially since Shirogane arrived, but now, he had the perfect scapegoat!

Yosuke told the lunatic that he believed him and did his best to gain his trust. Then, he declared:

“I think I know a way to make them take you seriously.”

“Really? How?” the other asked with an eager look.

_What a creep…_

“Meet me at the public dump tonight. I’ll show you.”

“I’ll be there!” the weirdo nodded.

“And don’t tell anyone about it!”

“I won’t, I promise!”

Once he left with a creepy expression of joy, Yosuke smiled. There were TVs in that dump, he’d seen them a few times. And people (or the Investigation Team at least, and hopefully Shirogane) would take that guy a lot more seriously if he went into the TV world. It was the perfect plan, especially since Teddie was working an evening shift to make up for a mistake he’d made earlier that day, meaning that he would be off Yosuke’s back. Desperate as he was, his scapegoat would make sure to be there, and he wouldn’t know what hit him.

_It wouldn’t help Yosuke get closer to being a hero, but it was still something. Things were finally going his way!_

*He didn’t know what the nose and mustache were for, but he wasn’t going to question it.


	5. Regrets

Nanako was dead. It was what the doctors said, at least, and Yu’s impassible expression felt a lot more desperate and devastated than neutral.

_Served him right._

Yosuke slapped himself mentally for this thought. Despite how jealous he was of their Leader’s success, he still felt bad for him. Seeing Yu so low made him want to sneer at his misfortune and hug him tight at the same time, and since neither option was acceptable—although a hug was very tempting—he did nothing and just stood there, looking sad and angry, like the rest of the team. And just like them, although for different reasons, he gritted his teeth at the thought that Nanako didn’t deserve any of this.

Her death was useful though, he realized, feeling a pang of guilt at the idea. Given how pissed off everyone was at Namatame for indirectly killing her, it would be a lot easier to get rid of the man.

Confirming his thoughts, Kanji had shaken Adachi until the cop told them where the “killer” was, and they all followed Dojima there. Going in the room was easy once the guards had left to take care of the injured and furious detective, and Namatame dug his own grave when he claimed his innocence. After all, “I saved them!” only sounds like a crime confession when everyone thinks you’re a crazy murderer.

Yosuke wasn’t going to complain about that, however. It only made things easier for him, since he was the most “rightfully mad” at the killer; although Yu was now a serious contender for the title.

_It was even better. If the Leader approved, no one would try to oppose them._

Namatame had to die, Yosuke was certain of it. After all, the deliveryman was the only one who knew he didn’t kill Yamano and Saki, beside Yosuke himself. Mitsuo didn’t say anything about how Yosuke was the one who threw him in the TV, but he wouldn’t be this lucky twice in a row.

_“No hard feelings, but I’m too cool to go to prison now,”_ Yosuke thought as he yelled something about how that bastard had killed Saki _and_ Nanako, and had tried to murder almost everyone in this room. And hadn’t Adachi said that he’d run free because the police lacked evidence? Of course he had to die!

Then, like a sign from the gods, Shadow Namatame appeared on screen to gloat about everything Yosuke had just said. It made everyone go berserk, and the real culprit barely had to say anything to fuel their anger. Only a few people like Chie were against it, but it didn’t matter anymore. No one tried to stop Yu when he grabbed the man by the neck and dragged him toward the TV.

Yosuke was jubilant. Finally, the great Yu Narukami would become a killer, just like him! He would go down to his level, and Yosuke could despise him at last!

However, just as he reached the screen, Yu stopped and said:

“Wait a sec…”

_Dammit!_

He had apparently thought of something, and nothing Yosuke said could change his mind. Yu even yelled at him—at all of them, actually—when he wouldn’t listen. It was the first time Yosuke heard him raise his voice. Then, Namatame got to explain himself calmly, and everyone knew that he wasn’t the killer.

As he heard the man tell his story, Yosuke gritted his teeth.

_If he didn’t find a new scapegoat soon, he was done for._

.

Yu couldn’t believe that he’d almost killed someone. Especially an innocent person. He didn’t think much of it while the whole thing was happening, but now that he was back to his empty house, with too much time to think and no one to distract him, he finally realized the horror of what he had almost done.

_He’d been this close to becoming a murderer._

Sure, Namatame had almost killed Nanako—had killed Nanako, and his cousin only managed to come back to life by some sort of miracle—but did it mean that he deserved to die? Wouldn’t it have put Yu on the same level as the killer? What right would he have had to tell the real killer that they were wrong, if he had turned into a murderer himself?

Yu shifted in his bed once again, unable to find a comfortable position. Whenever he stayed still for too long, he could feel Namatame’s collar in his hands again, he could feel himself on the verge of killing the man, and he hated it.

He sighed and grabbed his phone, looking for Yosuke in his contacts.

_“Are you asleep? I want to talk about tonight.”_

He didn’t know if he expected a reply, he just needed to talk. He stared at the screen for a solid minute, and put it down with a sigh.

_Figures…_

Worse than the almost-murder itself was the reason why Yu had been so determined to do it himself. It wasn’t because he personally wanted justice for Nanako. However blinded by rage he’d been, he didn’t really want to kill Namatame. However, Yosuke had been so adamant that it had to be done, and he was so ready to let Yu leave the room and do it himself if he had to…

But Yu couldn’t let him do that, he’d realized at that moment. Yosuke meant the world to him, more so than the rest of the team, and he couldn’t let him become a murderer. As his Leader, and as his Partner. And so, if Yosuke couldn’t do it, it was Yu’s job to put an end to Namatame’s life, even if it meant trampling on his principles.

That was what he’d thought back then, at least.

_But he had found a solution. He should hang on to this instead of blaming himself for what could have happened._

Yu sighed once more, as if to get rid of all these nasty thoughts. He grabbed his phone again and typed:

_“Sorry for disturbing you so late. I’m just glad we’ve found a peaceful solution. Sleep well, Partner.”_

At least, he could be happy that Yosuke didn’t become a murderer that night. And himself, of course, but it wasn’t as important.

 

Meanwhile, at the Hanamura residence, Yosuke put down his phone with a sigh of relief.

.

Yosuke needed another scapegoat. As expected, the rest of the Investigation Team had decided to keep looking for the real killer, now that Namatame’s innocence had been proved, and he couldn’t let them realize that it had been him all along. But who could fill this role? After all, Namatame had been perfect, but his plan to get rid of the guy had failed.

As he moved another box of goods to refill the electronic aisle, Yosuke started reviewing people he knew to see if there was someone he could pin the murders on. For once, Teddie wasn’t pestering him, so he could think as much as he wanted.

_Speaking of which, where was the bear even? They hadn’t seen him since Nanako’s miracle survival._

Yosuke shook his head. He was a bit worried about Ted, but he had more urgent matters to attend to at the moment. The rest of the team was supposed to meet later that day to interrogate the whole town and look for new clues, and he had to find something before then.

As he crossed the TV aisle, still struggling to come up with a potential culprit, Yosuke noticed a familiar shape ahead of him, looking around carefully in a way that seemed more suspicious than anything. The man wasn’t facing him, but Yosuke could recognize the disheveled look and inelegant posture anywhere: it had to be Adachi.

Curious, Yosuke hid behind a nearby screen, wondering why the cop was snooping around their usual portal to the TV world. Then, to his surprise, Adachi walked through the screen and left without a trace, just like the IT usually did.

Had Yosuke still been holding a box, he would have dropped it.

_To think that_ Adachi _, of all people, had the same kind of powers as they did! How many more could do that?_

But more importantly, Yosuke now had his scapegoat! If he could just find reasons to blame Adachi, it would be perfect!

Just as he thought that, Yosuke had an epiphany. Flashes from months before came back to him, and he remembered that Saki had told him a certain “Adachi” interrogated her, the last time he’d seen her. And now that he thought about it, didn’t the cop guarding Yamano look awfully like Adachi as well?

He laughed. He had the perfect culprit now! He couldn’t wait to meet the others and tell them! Or even better, he could call them now so that they’d confront Adachi directly in the TV world!

He called Yu and the others immediately, telling them what he’d just seen, and they all met at the food court for an emergency meeting. Of course, it had been hard to convince his teammates that it was really Adachi, and that he hadn’t dreamed seeing him go through the screen. After all, the goofy cop was one of the least suspicious persons ever, but Naoto was quick to remark how he’d mentioned Namatame “putting people in” the night Nanako was kidnapped, and his general eagerness to share news about the murders with them.

“Then again, I’ve heard that he’s been defending Namatame quite vehemently ever since he came back from the TV world…” she then remarked.

“But it doesn’t mean shit!” Kanji exclaimed. “If what Yosuke-senpai said is right, then he has the same power as ours and Namatame! We gotta catch him now!”

_“Yes Kanji, that’s the spirit!”_ Yosuke thought.

He approved of the idea, and they all decided to at least give it a try and go inside the TV world.

.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t find anything,” Rise announced after several minutes of intensive search. “I don’t sense anyone aside from us.”

“Maybe you’ve really dreamed that,” Yukiko declared, turning to Yosuke.

“Or maybe he left while we were all discussing whether or not we should come here,” Yosuke grumbled.

Yu put a hand on his shoulder, telling him not to worry about it. His partner looked at him with a pout, but he still nodded, and they all left the TV world.

“Okay, now what?” Chie asked as soon as they were out.

“We carry on with the initial plan, and start interrogating people around town,” Yu announced.

Even now, he still didn’t know how he ended up in this position as leader of the Investigation Team. However, it was obvious that everyone was relying on him entirely, so he knew that he had to make decisions for them, even if he had no idea what he was doing most of the time.

_This one had been fairly easy, though._

“Sounds like a plan. How are we splitting up?” Kanji asked.

_And here was an example of hard decision, because he really felt like he shouldn’t have to tell them stuff like that._

Yu sighed, trying to come up with an efficient plan. As he was thinking, he heard someone fall behind him, and everyone gasped. He turned around to find Adachi on the ground, staring at them like a deer in the headlights.

“There you are, you bastard! We’ve finally caught you!” Kanji roared as he grabbed the newcomer by the collar, which was becoming a habit these days.

“Hi, everyone. Fancy seeing you here,” Adachi greeted with a weak laugh.

“So it was you all along? But why?” Chie asked.

“Wait, what are you talking about?”

“Don’t try to play innocent! We saw you coming out of that TV!” Kanji exclaimed.

“So you think I’m the killer?” Adachi asked with an alarmed look.

“Given the circumstances, you are highly suspicious,” Naoto confirmed.

The cop sighed.

“Right, makes sense. But I promise I’m not, so can you please put me down so we can talk about it calmly? People are starting to stare.”

Yu looked around and saw a few customers giving them curious looks. Kanji turned to him to ask for instructions, and Yu nodded so he put the man down.

“Let’s go back to the food court,” he decided.

They all escorted their new suspect there, and like a good detective, Naoto started the interrogation as soon as they were all sitting down, Adachi safely tucked between Kanji and Chie while Yu was next to Naoto and Yosuke on the other side of the table.

“So, Adachi-san, how long have you known about the TV world?” she started.

“I fell in right before Amagi disappeared,” he replied.

“What do you mean ‘fell in’?” Yukiko asked with a tiny smile, showing that she had a good idea of the answer.

“I tripped in…” Adachi muttered, looking stubbornly at the table.

Yukiko’s laughter rang brightly in the room, but the mood was still heavy, and it died quickly.

“And you didn’t know about it before?” Naoto inquired, resuming the interrogation as she politely hid a smile behind her hand.

“No. I had heard rumors about the Midnight Channel, but it was the first time I’d checked.”

“Did you know about us?” Yu intervened, feeling like her questions were getting them nowhere.

“I figured it out when Amagi started hanging out with you guys, and I confirmed it when Tatsumi did the same.”

“Why didn’t you tell us, then?” Yu frowned.

They weren’t the closest persons in the world, but he still thought they had a strong bond.

“I was suspecting you at first,” Adachi admitted, scratching his neck with a sheepish smile. “And when it became clear that you couldn’t be the killer, I figured that you guys didn’t need me. Also, I thought I was more likely to catch the culprit if they had their eyes on you and not on me.”

“It makes sense,” Yu remarked thoughtfully.

“This is getting nowhere, what if he’s lying?!” Yosuke exclaimed suddenly. “I know it’s him, guys! Who else has this kind of power?”

“We thought Yu was the only one before we found out about Namatame,” Chie remarked.

“But it has to be him,” he insisted. “I know he was at the Amagi Inn the night Miss Yamano died. And he called Saki at the station the night _she_ died! Isn’t that enough proof?”

Yu didn’t know why Yosuke was so angry, all of a sudden. Sure, his accusations made a lot of sense, and he was the most eager to find the culprit. However, Yu would have thought that his partner would take more time to sit back and think.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds after his outburst, until Adachi asked slowly:

“How do you know about that?”

“Huh?” Yosuke let out with a surprised look. “It doesn’t matter!”

“It does,” Adachi insisted. “Only the chief knows that I was on duty at the Amagi Inn that night, and Yamano disappeared while I was having a snack. As for Konishi, I called her on short notice, so I don’t think she would have had time to tell anyone beforehand.”

“You did it so it would be easier to kill her, right?” Yosuke hissed.

“I have several witnesses who can confirm she left the station unharmed,” Adachi stated. “The point here is that you can’t know about these two facts unless the killer is you.”

As he heard those words, Yu saw red.

“How dare you?!” he exclaimed, banging the table as he stood straight to face the man.

“What? Yu-kun, come on. It makes sense,” Adachi defended himself weakly.

_As if he’d ever believe that. How could Adachi call his best friend a killer to his face? He didn’t even know him!_

“Senpai, calm down, please,” Naoto said. “Let’s try not to jump to conclusions. Yosuke, how did you know this?”

“I-I don’t know, I just… Saki told me after the interrogation and for Yamano… Maybe I was wrong?”

“I heard you behind the door, that night at the hospital,” Adachi insisted. “You seemed pretty eager to get rid of Namatame. I thought I’d have to go save him myself.”

“Adachi-san, shut up!” Yu spat.

He didn’t listen to the rest of the conversation. He was seething. He couldn’t believe that even Naoto was against them now! It all made sense, after all! Adachi was the killer, it had to be him! They just had to report him to the police, and it would be all over.

_How could they accuse a member of their own team like this? And Yosuke, especially! He was Yu’s partner, of course he was above suspicions!_

Yosuke stood up and ran away. Yu looked at him go with a surprised look, wondering what the others could have told him to make him react like this.

“Catch him! He’s the killer!” Kanji yelled as he struggled to run around the table and follow him.

Everyone ran after him, Adachi included, and Yu stayed alone at the table, staring at the surface.

_It couldn’t be true, right? It was all a mistake! Yosuke had to be innocent!_

He heard screams and agitation somewhere on the right, and he sat there in silence, glued to his seat, defeated.


	6. The Seeds of Emptiness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are guys, a day early because why not? I just want this to be over at this point.
> 
> Enjoy!

Yu was sitting at the small table in his uncle’s living room, silent. He knew that he should probably feel more invested in what was happening around him, since he was currently surrounded with his friends. It was his farewell party, after all. However, he couldn’t. He didn’t want to. Someone important was missing.

Yosuke wasn’t here.

His partner’s absence was filling the room more surely than the rest of the guests, and the sound his voice didn’t make was resonating against the walls, deafening.

_Yosuke had ran to the TV world once Adachi and Naoto uncovered him. He’d locked himself in the break room and jumped inside the TV that was there. Worse, when Yu had come to see him alone, he’d admitted his crimes readily._

_Yu had hoped to get a different answer than when he was with the rest of the team and Adachi; to hear a secret Yosuke couldn’t reveal to anyone but him. It didn’t happen. His partner even seemed to take great pleasure in torturing him, and the worst thing was that even though he couldn’t deny that everything was real, Yu still didn’t want to believe it._

“You’re still thinking about Hanamura, huh?” Adachi asked with an empathetic look.

Yu looked away with a huff. He knew he was being unfair toward the man, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that the murderer should have been him, and that Yosuke should be here instead while Adachi was rotting in prison. It would have made more sense, although he didn’t know why exactly.

_Their last trip in the TV world, just a few days before what Yosuke had announced would be the end of the world, had felt awful and foreign. It was as if Adachi had replaced his partner, or forcibly switched their places._

_Still, Yu was the leader, and he had to act as such. So before they took off to Yamano’s room, where Yosuke was hiding, he asked Adachi about his Persona and his abilities, to know how he could fight._

_“I mostly use magic, and I can use a gun,” he had replied. “I have wind and lightning spells, and a healing one, thankfully.”_

_Yosuke had wind spells, Yu had thought. And a few healing ones, although Yukiko was the real healer of the team. How dared Adachi try to replace him like this?_

_Of course, everyone seemed thrilled to hear this. Between this and his hiding ability that could fool even Rise, the rest of the team was starting to really warm up to Adachi’s presence. Yukiko, especially, had been roaring with laughter ever since Adachi had taken out his glasses, which turned out to be the gag ones Kanji had thrown away when he became a member of the team. She’d kept giggling every now and then, even after Teddie gave him a pair of proper ones he’d made for the occasion._

_“You’re part of the team now,” the bear had said solemnly._

_Yu had gritted his teeth. He didn’t want Adachi to be part of the team. He wanted Yosuke back._

“I feel bad about what happened to Yosuke…” Teddie said with a sad look. “I was living at his place and I never smelled anything wrong with him.”

“Don’t worry about it, Teddie. It’s not like any of us did, and you weren’t even around when the murders happened,” Kanji replied.

Teddie had secretly been living at the Amagi Inn ever since Yosuke had left them. He still worked at Junes, but he couldn’t keep living with the Hanamuras, now that their son was gone.

_Yosuke had been extra mean to everyone when they finally reached him, after crossing a twisted version of Inaba. The atmosphere during their confrontation was finally as heavy and solemn as it was supposed to be, and despite how awful it felt, it was still better than the rest of the trip, when Yukiko kept giggling whenever Adachi called his Persona ridiculous names._

Seriously, how hard could it be to pronounce a name properly, Yu wondered. As a wild card, he had to remember the names of hundreds of Personas! No wonder his uncle was constantly scolding the guy.

_After explaining his motivations in more details, Yosuke had started yelling at everyone. He was mad at Yukiko for being so cold toward him, at Chie for only caring about his money, at Teddie for being an ungrateful moocher, at Rise for being such a bitch who didn’t even see him… Even Kanji and Naoto weren’t spared._

_Then, came Yu’s turn. He’d never thought Yosuke was feeling this way toward him. There was so much rage and bitterness in his words that although he’d already heard most of it, this time felt even worse._

“There was nothing we could have done,” Chie said, and the others nodded.

“I really feel bad for him, and for not suspecting anything, but it’s too late to dwell on it,” Yukiko added.

“You weren’t even here when he killed Miss Yamano, and you barely knew him when he did the same to Konishi. You shouldn’t blame yourself for this, Senpai,” Rise added.

Yu wanted to believe them; he really did. But all he could think of was Yosuke’s words after they beat him—and seeing his partner injured because of him felt so awful that it hurt more than Jiraiya’s wind spells.

_“I just wanted to feel something… I was feeling so empty before it all started…”_

_He’d paused for a second, turned to Yu with a desperate look and yelled:_

_“You could have done it! You could have saved me!”_

_His partner then stumbled before darkness engulfed him and Ameno-Sagiri took over his body._

“He was possessed by that thing,” Yu muttered. “It was all because of the fog.”

“But what he did was his own fault,” Naoto retorted. “Even he admitted it.”

He couldn’t reply anything to this. He had begged his uncle to let him see Yosuke in prison, and the detective had refused until Adachi sided with Yu and convinced his colleague to accept. Yosuke didn’t say anything different. He only added that he was wrong earlier; that there was nothing Yu could have done to prevent this, but he refused to believe it.

“It’s okay, Senpai. It’s all over now, and we’re here,” Rise said, and although he understood what she meant, a part of him still thought that he’d rather have Yosuke instead.

He should have been happy to have his friends with him for his last day. He should have been sad to leave them. But he wasn’t.

He looked at Adachi, who was talking to Dojima on the other side of the table, and he tried to hate the guy for being here when Yosuke wasn’t, but he couldn’t even do this.

Yu wasn’t feeling much, these days.

Without Yosuke around, he was nothing but an empty shell.

.

“So, I hope that with what you’ve learned here, you won’t be demoted again. Well, if you are, you know that you’re always welcome in Inaba,” Dojima declared.

Tohru smiled, trying his best to make it look polite and not ironic.

_He’d singlehandedly solved this case, if you excluded the kids. He’d stood his ground against the entire station when everyone thought the culprit was Namatame, and no one had believed him. All Dojima had done was getting hurt. But sure, Tohru had learned a lot. By himself. From their mistakes._

“Thank you, Sir,” he still said.

Deep down, he knew that his partner felt guilty for not having done much, especially since he got most of the credit for solving the case. Tohru didn’t really care, though. He still got what he wanted, in the end: he was transferred back to Tokyo. He had already packed his stuff, and he was ready to leave first thing in the morning. He had no regrets.

_Well, he had one regret, to be honest._

Tohru sighed, and tried to focus on his conversation with Dojima. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder who gave them these powers, and where the rumors about the Midnight Channel came from. There had to be something more to the case, and Shirogane seemed to agree with him.

Unfortunately, the rest of her team was much more concerned about Yu's well-being, and Tohru couldn’t blame them for this. He’d been out of it since Hanamura’s betrayal. So in the end, the last couple of months went by in the blink of an eye, and Tohru still wasn’t closer to an answer.

Maybe it was nothing, after all. Maybe he was just wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Adachi-san?” Nanako asked shyly.

“Yes, Nanako-chan?”

“Um… Can you give this to Kaoru-kun? It’s the books he gave me last time. And I added a thank you gift,” she explained, handing him a small box.

“Sure,” he nodded. “I’m sure he’ll love it.”

“Thanks!” she smiled.

As she walked away to talk to Teddie, Tohru felt a bit sad to be leaving. However, this feeling disappeared as soon as he remembered that he was going back to his family, and he smiled at the idea.

Sometimes, he felt like he would have turned out like Hanamura, had the Iwais not been a part of his life. After all, he’d never cared about anyone before he met them, and they were what made the world a nice place in his eyes.

No matter how dark or unfair life could be, the world was still worth saving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, we've reached the end of my once impressive stack of Persona stories! That's it folks, after almost two years, I've finished editing and posting everything I've written for this fandom!
> 
> Maybe I'll have new ideas in the future, we'll see. Thank you for reading this! I suppose it's a bit late to remind you that feedback gives me life, but it really does so please tell me what you thought!
> 
> See ya! (probably in the BnHA fandom)


End file.
